A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 473 If I tell you to go, then go.

They really succeeded in breaking through!

The attendant had an amazing sense of direction, and with Richard's [Dark Vision] ability, he was speeding through the streets of the capital, rapidly approaching the palace.

Manager Cha and Libs reminded them that the carriage carefully avoided the routes the insurgents might take, and finally arrived safely outside the palace.

"This is His Highness the Crown Prince's carriage! Move aside! Move aside!" the attendant shouted, pulling out the royal flag from inside his clothes, which fluttered in the torchlight.

"He shouldn't have done that. What if the military police surrounding the palace have already rebelled?" The Crown Prince, who had been silent the whole way, suddenly spoke up.

The attendant in the carriage added, "You are right. He acted rashly in the emergency, but the military police are absolutely loyal to you and to the Empire."

The Crown Prince neither agreed nor disagreed, only letting out a cold snort.

The group entered the palace without incident. It was normal for His Highness and the guards to be in plain clothes for the sake of concealment. The only strange thing for the guards was that His Highness the Crown Prince insisted on having a young man carrying a barefoot lady accompany him, and they were inseparable.

Once inside the brightly lit hall, the Crown Prince relaxed and changed into the clothes prepared by his servants.

He quickly erupted again: "Where are the others? Summon all the nobles! I want all the nobles to get here."

"Your Highness, we should inform Chancellor Otto first."

The Crown Prince drew his sword, thankfully using the back of the blade to strike the person who had spoken out: "The Prime Minister? He must be the mastermind! This person, this person..."

Unexpectedly, the hall doors opened, and another group entered, consisting of civil officials led by Chancellor Otto. Apart from the impeccably dressed Chancellor himself, most of them were simply wearing coats over their shoulders, revealing pajamas or casual social attire underneath.

The prime minister had already heard the crown prince's cries: "Your Highness, you misunderstand. I was unaware of tonight's turmoil. You may accuse me of dereliction of duty, but I certainly did not intend to overstep my authority."

The Crown Prince stared wide-eyed: "Really? Then who is the mastermind?" He looked at Richard, who naturally reported the information he had.

Upon hearing this, the prime minister pondered: "So it was mainly a spontaneous rebellion by low-ranking officers, and their demands were so simple, crude, and childish as to be incomprehensible."

The military police reported that the advancing imperial army had arrived at the square in front of the palace and was now in a standoff with the military police. The cavalry and artillery regiments were now assembling.

However, the military police had to wait for orders before deciding whether to completely eliminate these rebel forces.

The Crown Prince's friend, the current Marshal Helmut, also arrived at the palace. He ignored the large group of civil officials and entered with high-ranking military officers and a reliable guard, his thick combat boots clattering on the marble floor.

"Your Highness, I'm so sorry to have startled you!" Helmut strode forward and embraced the Crown Prince, then looked at his friend with concern.

"I'm fine, thanks to the loyal and brave guards and Colonel Richard." The Crown Prince remained calm upon seeing his friend. Helmut said frankly, "Only you can give the order! As long as Your Highness nods, all the artillery and cavalry in position can quell the riot as quickly as possible."

"We must not fire cannons in front of the palace!" the prime minister declared resolutely. "The actions of the Imperial Army officers today were not sudden. A brutal crackdown will only shake the morale of more officers, jeopardizing the army's morale and threatening the collapse of the war, the overall situation, and the reforms."

"First of all, there are only rebels outside, not any imperial soldiers. Secondly, reform, reform. Isn't your reform the root of the turmoil and chaos? I think it's you who have created panic among the people, causing the army to become confused and easily misled."

"Stop." The Crown Prince interrupted the argument between the civil and military leaders. He had come from the west gate where the mages were engaged in fierce fighting, and he was more concerned about one question: "Among the mages accompanying the army, some have remained rational and clear-headed, while others have already sided with the rebel army. Now, can you stop the spellcasters in the rebel army from approaching and taking me hostage?" After saying that, he looked at Richard.

Helmut stopped speaking easily, because his control over the army mages was weak. The chief position of the army spellcasters was currently vacant, and there was no strong person who could lead this force and was willing to obey the military.

The prime minister quickly offered a solution: "They are also human beings, officers, and their demands are likely the same as those of the other rebels. Therefore, we must quell the unrest among the ordinary soldiers as soon as possible, so that those radical spellcasters lose their basis for action."

The Crown Prince's eyes were bloodshot: "Then how do we quell this?"

The prime minister did not give an immediate answer, but simply stared at the other person. A moment later, the hall fell silent again—a suffocating silence. Helmut and Otto both turned their attention to the crown prince.

Libus's voice broke the silence: "Why doesn't His Highness the Crown Prince just ascend the throne? Didn't those mutinous troops want you to go? Then go ahead and shut them up."

Libs had been put down by Richard, whose arms were sore and numb. She was now standing with her hands on her hips, looking smug. Because she was blindfolded, she could only vaguely judge people's positions by their voices, so she was actually talking to a marble pillar.

Richard did not correct her position; he simply stood silently to her side with a serious expression.

However, everyone present heard what she said.

After a long silence, the Crown Prince finally spoke: "If the empire needs me to become emperor now, then I have nothing to worry about." After saying that, he still unconsciously looked at the prime minister, as if the prince's father was standing behind this elderly and stern elder.

Although the emperor was currently ill and recuperating at a sanatorium.

The prime minister responded with a reassuring smile and said loudly and sincerely, "In this extraordinary time, there is no need to be bound by formalities. All the officials and ministers, both civil and military, are present and ready to offer their loyalty to His Majesty!"

At this moment, regardless of whether they were members of the Crown Prince's faction or not, all ministers, generals, and marshals knelt and bowed, saying, "We pledge our loyalty to Our Emperor!"

Then the Crown Prince—no, the new Emperor Wilhelm II—was astonished to discover that the late Emperor had already prepared everything he needed for his coronation. At the Chancellor's instruction, the master of ceremonies brought out the crown and scepter. Without a bishop or divine authorization, Wilhelm II himself held up the crown and, under the watchful eyes of his subjects, placed it on himself.

As dawn approached, the imperial soldiers who were confronting the military police in the square did not see the accompanying mage who was there to support them. Instead, they saw Wilhelm II wearing a crown on the windowsill of the palace.

He gave an impromptu speech, announcing that all those involved in the operation were loyal to the empire but had been misled by spies from Valuval. He then reassured the soldiers, promising that no one would be held responsible.

This means that some people will be let off the hook, while others will be dealt with secretly. Furthermore, "in response to widespread public demand," Chancellor Otto, who bore primary responsibility for the Empire's problems, was ordered to resign voluntarily, but in consideration of his past contributions to the Empire, all his honors were preserved, and he was allowed to enjoy his later years in peace.

As the dome of the Imperial Parliament building burned out and collapsed, sunlight shone on the central axis of the capital. Both military police and imperial soldiers laid down their weapons and shouted, "Long live the Emperor!" "Long live the Empire!"

"It's over," Richard, who had been standing behind the new emperor, whispered to Libs.

Libs remained silent; at that moment, her eyes were fixed solely on Richard, or more precisely, on his fate. The two were very close, only his still-chaotic mass shifting in the darkness.

"Richard of the Dahlberg family, and..." The former prime minister appeared, his expression both relaxed and utterly exhausted. The old man paused for a moment at the blindfolded Libus, then quickly matched the name in his memory: "Miss Libus of Bomía, both I and the Empire should thank you."

(End of this chapter)